Johnw



. J. W- KAUFMANN.

CASE FIASTENERP APPLICATION FILED MAR. 25. 1919.

Patented Dec. 16,1919.

% WITNE88E8 JOHN W. KAUFMANN, BALTIMORE, MARYLAND;

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, Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented nee; 16, 1919.

Application filed March 25, 1919. Serial No. 284,918.

the following is a specification.

My invention is an improyement is case fasteners, andhas for its obJect to provlde a fastener of the character specified especially adapted for suitcases, brief cases and cases of any character, wherein a simple, inexpensive fastener is provided, having ineans in connection therewith for holding the sections of the case frame from gaping open when the catches are released until the lock is unfastened.

In the drawings: I

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the catch;

Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section;

Figure 3 is a horizontal section through the case of the fastener;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the lockin bolt.

The resent embodiment of the invention is s own in connection with a case, consisting of a body 1 and a cover 2, and the fastener comprises a casing which is fastened to the body and a latch plate which is fastened to the cover. This casing consists of a base plate 3 and a cover 4 which is connected to the base plate in any suitable or desired manner, the base plate being riveted to the body 1 of the case, as shown, and the latch plate 5 is riveted to the cover.

The cover 4 has an opening 6 through which the latch plate is adapted to extend, that end of the plate which enters the opening being reduced as shown, and curved at its free end to form a catch 7. A bolt 8 is journaled in the cover, the said cover having an opening at one end for receiving the end of the bolt and a notch or recess 9 in the other end for receiving the bolt, out of which the bolt may be moved to disengage the same, and this bolt has a laterally extending lug 10 which is adapted to engage the catch 7 when the plate is in place in the casing, to lock the latch plate to the casing.

A coil spring 11 encircles the bolt, the said spring having one end engaging the lug 10 and the other is engaged within an opening 12 in the base plate 3 of the casing. This spring acts normally to hold the bolt with the lug 10 in engagement with that end of the casing adjacent to the latch plate,v

it being noticed that the latch plate enters at one end of the casing, and also to rotate the shaft to' cause the lug 10 to engage the catch 7 of the latch plate. The bolt is movable longitudinally of the casing, to move the lug 10 into and out of engagement with the catch of the latch plate, and is also rotatable or oscillatable for the same purpose.

In use, with the parts in locked position, when the bolt 8 is moved longitudinally against the resistance of the spring, that is, when the head of the bolt is pressed toward the casing, the lug 10 is moved laterally out of engagement with the lug 7 and out of register with the latch plate. The extent of movement permitted by the head of the bolt is just suificient for the lug 10 to clear the latch plate, and since the spring acts normally to throw the lug upwardly toward the top of the cover, it will-be obvious that when the bolt is released the lug 10 will engage the edge of the plate and will hold the same by friction against outward movement, until slight tension is made upon the latch plate, that is, until the cover and body of the case are moved away from each other. As soon as the parts are moved with respect to each other, the latch plate is drawn out of contact with the bolt, and the spring 11 returns the bolt to normal locking position, in such position thatwhen the'latch plate is again pushed into the casing through the opening 6 the lug will engage the catch to lock the parts of the fastener together.

It will be noticed that the cover 4: has

lugs at its sidesand ends which pass through slots in the base plate 3, and are clenched to lock the cover to the base plate.

In assembling the device, before the lugs are engaged with the slots, the spring is arranged as shown in Fig. 4:, and the bolt is inserted in the cover, that end of the bolt remote from the head engaging the opening dotted line position of Fig. 3, will normally hold the catch in released position until the parts of the case are separated for the opening of the same, and the separation of the parts will release the catch, permitting the spring to function to return the catch to normal locking position.

I claim:

1. A bag fastener comprising a casing having an opening and a latch plate movable in the opening, a bolt mounted to rotate and to move longitudinally in the casing transversely of the latch plate and having means for engaging the latch plate to lock it in the casing and releasable by moving the bolt longitudinally in one direction, and a spring normally acting upon the bolt to cause the means to press against the latch plate When released to temporarily hold the latch plate in the casing.

2. A bag fastener comprising a latch plate and a bolt movable transversely of the latch plate and having means for engaging the latch plate to hold it in locked position When the said means is in register with the latch plate and for engaging frictionally the edge of the latch plate when out of register therewith for the purpose specified, and a spring normally acting upon the bolt to move it into register With the latch plate.

JOHN W. KAUFMANN.

lVitnesses:

I'ILERMAN A. KORNIGK, ALLEN SPENCER BARNES. 

